Curve Ball
by DreamWvr73
Summary: 4 in the Min & Johnny Series-- Min has a life alterng experience, will this bring her and Johnny closer or tear them apart?


Johnny was lying back on the bed he shared with Min, he looked over at the clock on her nightstand and it read 2 30. Min would be home anytime now and he was waiting anxiously; he never liked it when she closed the club it kept her out way too late. Johnny sighed as he watched the minutes tick by; he was hoping to hear the sound of her keys any minute now.

"You think you are such hot stuff, parading around in those little shorts." Agee kicked the young woman in the ribs as she tried to get up, the force of it sent her flat on her back once again. She groaned loudly, burning hot pain was in her side; she rolled onto her stomach and started to crawl.

"Oh no you don't Sweetheart."

Agee straddled the young woman's backed, he reached down and grabbed her by the hair, he pulled her head up. She cried out loudly in pain as he twisted her hair in his hand, he leaned down close to her ear. "By the time I'm through you'll be doing a whole of that."

He lifted her head a little higher before he drove his elbow into the middle of her back sending her flat on the ground; he slammed her head down into the asphalt. Min was pinned to the ground, Agee weighed a ton and her struggles to throw him off her back were useless. He pulled her head back and slammed into the asphalt harder this time and she felt the bits of gravel dig into her face. The weight was suddenly gone and Agee had let go of her head. Min could breathe easier now and got up on all fours, Agee stood back and watched as she got all the way to her feet, her face was bleeding and she wiped it with the back of her hand. He came at her again but this time she was ready for him, he grabbed her by the shoulders and she got him in the gut with her knees, he let go of her shoulders and she slugged him hard in the face, he stumbled back and Min decided that now was a good time to run. 

The green display on Min's clock now read 2 45 and Johnny was sitting on the edge of the bed, he was trying to think of why she would be running late.

"The starter…" He remembered that Min was having trouble with her starter "That has to be the reason." He got up from the bed and went into the living room, he grabbed his keys off the hook and left.

Min had only managed to run a few steps when Agee grabbed her around the waist and the both of them went crashing to the ground. The asphalt was unmerciful to her as it bit into the skin of her knees and arms.

"Think you can get away that easily?"

Agee rolled over her once and was now straddling her chest, he started to slap and punch the young woman he had trapped beneath him. 

Johnny was driving at lightning speed; he had this feeling deep down in his gut that something was terribly wrong. He stomped on the gas pedal not caring if he got a ticket, all he wanted to do was get to Min as fast as his little Land Rover would take him.

Agee was out of breath, his hands hurt and he was shaking them out and rubbing them. He looked down at his victim and smiled. Min's face was beaten and bloody, she was barely conscious. Agee grabbed her by the face and looked into her black and swollen eyes, he could see the dazed look in them and that was exactly what he was hoping for. 

"Not so tough now, are you honey?"

He let go of her face and moved his hands down her chest, he stared down at it and his hands lightly traced over it, he couldn't wait to see the prize inside and started to tear open her tank top. He saw the bra she wore underneath and it got him excited, he stood partially up and began unbuttoning and unzipping his pants.

The Wall Blvd. exit sign suddenly appeared over top of the hill, he had made it to downtown in record time. The whole area was foggy, not only from the pollution but the sudden change in temperature from the warm day to the freezing cold night. Johnny took the exit fast, he felt the tires of his Rover leave the pavement for a moment and he prayed hard that it wouldn't flip over. The street that club was on was 3rd, it was only a few blocks ahead and he drove like a maniac, not caring how many lights he ran.  He turned right at the third street light and went down a big hill. He took a left at the first stop sign, the club was at the end of the block and the fog seemed to be thicker in that area. Johnny  wondered if he was going to able to help Min get her car started with all this fog, he turned into the parking lot and as he did, his headlights caught the forms of two people, one of them was on the ground and the other was standing over the first, his pants down around his ankles. It took Johnny's brain only half a second to realize what he was seeing, the person on the ground was Min and her clothes were torn, he could see her jean shorts were pulled halfway down her legs. He recognized the other person immediately as the one that had gotten himself thrown out of the club a few nights earlier. The world seemed to be suddenly moving in slow motion as Johnny slammed on his brakes, he threw his vehicle into park and got out of it , he ran as fast as he could towards the man and lunged himself at him.

_"You son of a bitch!"_

Johnny had the man by the throat and was slamming his head into the ground several times, he was so angry that the world had a red hue to it. He saw the man's face turn purple from the lack of air and he let go of his throat. Agee was unconscious now and Johnny was shaking from head to foot as he slowly got up. He ran over to his girlfriend and the sight of her made tears clog his throat. He touched her neck and felt her pulse thumping against his fingers. 

"Oh my God Min!" Sean had come out of the club to go home.

"Sean, go to my truck and get out that big black box that's under the driver's seat, the thing that looks like a tackle box."  

The young man nodded slowly and did what he asked; he brought back the kit and set it down on the ground.

"What can I do to help?"

"Go back inside and dial 555-1551, tell whoever answers that Gage needs help and give them the address."

Sean got up and went running back into the club.

Johnny had his big kit open and was gently dabbing Min's bloody face, she was unconscious now and it was tearing at his heart.

"Come on Min, open your eyes, I need you to talk to me."

She was not responding, Johnny took out his blood pressure cuff and put it on her arm. He put his stethoscope in his ears and listened, her pressure was low. He took out a glass bottle of saline solution and started an IV in her arm. 

"Johnny, I called the station, Roy said they would be here as soon as they could."

"Thanks, do me a favor, can you find a blanket or something to cover her up with?" 

"I think there are some table clothes in her brother's office."

"Can you bring them please?"

"Sure." The young man disappeared once again as the sound of a sirens got louder.

Roy and Johnny were sitting in the doctor's lounge; Johnny's hands were covering his face as he waited for news about Min. The ambulance had gotten there in plenty of time and Brice was covering Johnny's shift. The orders from Rampart were to start a Ringer's Lactate IV, which Johnny had already done. Brice had given Johnny a little bit of a hard time about doing something on his own without Doctor's orders but at that point he really didn't care, all that mattered to him was for Min to be all right.

"Johnny?"

He uncovered his face and looked at his partner. "Yeah?"

Roy offered him a cup of coffee. "Here, have some."

He took the cup and had a small sip. "Thanks."

Roy sat back down beside his partner. "Do you think Brackett will give you a hard time about starting the IV without his permission?"

Johnny sighed and wiped his face. "I don't know."

"She's going to be fine Johnny, I'm sure of it."

"I just wish I was."

The door to the lounge opened and in walked Doctor Brackett; his hands were in his pockets and he stood over the two men.

"Johnny can I talk to you for a second?"

Johnny looked up at him. "Whatever you have to say Roy can hear."

Kel nodded his head. "All right then, she was beaten up pretty bad, because of the condition of her clothes we had to look for signs of sexual assault."

Johnny swallowed hard, he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the next part. "And what did you find out?"

"There was no evidence of it, that might have been different if you had gotten there any later."

Johnny closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. "Is she going to be all right?"

"I really can't say for sure Johnny, she's in a coma right now because of her head injuries We're going to have to play it by ear and see what happens, if she were conscious we would know more."

"Thanks Dr. Brackett, will you let me know if anything changes?"

Kel nodded his head. "Of course." He started to walk away but then he remembered something and turned back. "I was told by Brice that you had the Ringers Lactate IV started when they got on the scene, is that true?"

Johnny looked up at the Doctor. "It's true."

"You _do_ know that you can get in very serious trouble for doing something like that, especially if you're wrong."

"Was I wrong? Would you have said something other than a Ringers Lactate IV?"

"As a paramedic you have to go by the orders of the doctor."

Johnny stood up and was face to face with Kelly Brackett. "I wasn't a paramedic when I found her, I was her fiancé, and I didn't care about whether or not an order had been given; the only thing I cared about was her, if you want to reprimand me for that then go ahead."

Kelly put his hand on the young man's shoulder. "You weren't wrong Johnny and I can understand why you did it, but don't make a habit out of doing that, all right?"

Johnny sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to snap at you."

Kel patted him on the back. "It's all right, why don't you try and get some sleep?"

"I'll try but I can't make any promises."

Johnny sat back down on the couch as the doctor left the lounge to go check on his patients.

"Boy I thought he was going to chew you out."

"So did I, I guess that wasn't the brightest thing I ever did."

"No it wasn't but it was the right thing to do, we weren't there right away and what you did is probably going to make a difference whether or not she comes out of this." Roy suddenly realized what he said and was fast to try and fix it. "I mean when she does come out of it."

Johnny patted his friend on the leg. "I know what you meant." He got up from the couch and stared out the window at the rising sun, he hoped it was going to be a good day.

Johnny finally fell asleep when Min's family showed up, they were directed to the doctor's lounge by Roy. Bo, Daisy and Luke all walked into the lounge and saw Johnny was stretched out on the couch; his white t-shirt was covered with blood.

"We better go back out there and let him sleep." Daisy and Luke nodded as they followed Bo back out to the waiting area, they sat down next to Roy.

"How long has he been asleep?"

"Not long Bo, would you all like some coffee?" The family members nodded their heads and Roy disappeared and returned with three cups of coffee and passed them out.

"Has the doctor been out to talk to him Roy?" Luke had a sip of coffee as he waited for an answer. 

"As a matter of fact he has already talked to Dr. Brackett."

"And what did he say, is she going to be okay?"

Bo put his arm around Daisy's shoulders. "You know Min; she's going to be fine."

"Dr. Brackett couldn't say for sure because she's in a coma right now."

"What happened to the guy that did this to my sister?"

"Johnny knocked him out and the cops took him away as soon as we got there."

Bo took another sip of coffee and set the cup down on the floor. "Is Johnny going to leave to go to work?"

Roy shook his head. "No, Captain Stanley put him on vacation for the next few days."

"I hope she's out of there by then." 

Dixie McCall finished up her rounds and went into the doctor's lounge for a cup of coffee, she opened the door and saw Johnny was asleep on the couch. She had just checked on Min and wondered if she should wake Johnny to tell him the latest news. She got a cup of coffee and pulled one of the chairs close to the couch; she sat down and brushed the young man's hair gently with her fingers.

"Johnny?"

His eyes flew open and he sat straight up. "I'm awake." He saw it was Dixie and he yawned and rubbed his face. "Hey Dix, any word?"

"I just checked on her, vital signs are getting stronger, she'll probably be coming around anytime now."

"Is she in a room?"

"No, not yet, not until she's awake."

Johnny got off the couch slowly, everything was stiff. "Is Roy still here?"

Dixie nodded. "He's out in the waiting area with Min's family."

"They're here? Why didn't they let me know?"

"You were asleep, why don't you go out there and talk to them?"

"Yeah, I could use the stretch."

"What you could use is a new shirt." Dixie was looking at his bloody t-shirt as she sipped her coffee.

Johnny looked down at himself. "It's Min's blood."

"Do you want me to try and find you a new shirt?"

"If you can, if not don't worry about it." 

"I'm sure one of the doctor's has a spare t-shirt."

"I'll be in the waiting area with Min's family." He left the lounge and Dixie sighed as she finished her coffee. 

"What time is it Bo?" Daisy yawned widely and rubbed the back of her neck, it felt like a brick back there.

Bo looked at his wrist; he started to tell her when another voice answered her question.

"It's almost 7 30."

They all looked up and saw Johnny standing over them, Daisy was the first to get up, she put her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"Is she going to be all right?"

Johnny hugged the young woman and patted her back gently. "I don't know yet Daisy, she still isn't awake."

Bo and Luke stood up and surrounded him. "Is there any word?"

"Has the doctor talked to you lately?"

Daisy let go of him and sat back down, she got a tissue out of her purse and wiped her eyes, she saw the way her two cousins had the fireman surrounded. 

"She's still unconscious Luke but her vital signs are getting stronger, which means she could wake up at anytime.

"No Bo, I haven't seen Dr. Brackett since early this morning."

Johnny didn't see his partner. "What happened to Roy?"

"He left right after we got here, he said he was going to go home and get some sleep but he would be back in a few hours."

Johnny sat down in the empty chair next to Luke and rubbed his hands over his face. "It's his day off, what a way to spend it."

"Roy told us that you are on vacation."

Johnny looked over at Luke and nodded his head. "Yeah Captain Stanley arranged it for me."

"That was nice of him."

"I've got a couple of months worth of vacation time saved, I can take all the time I want and still get paid."

"What are you saving all that time for?"

Daisy was the one asking the question and Johnny sighed. "For our honeymoon."

He didn't have to say a word but everyone could guess what he was thinking; Daisy reached out and touched his hand. "You'll still have that honeymoon Johnny."

Johnny nodded as he patted Daisy's hand. 

Min heard a lot of voices around her heard, some she recognized, some she did not, her whole body ached and she wondered where her she was. She felt someone touching her head and she tried very hard to reach up and touch whoever was touching her. She opened her eyes instead and saw Dr. Brackett, Dr. Early and Dixie. The two men were talking, not paying any attention to her; it was Dixie that was touching her head. The older woman smiled at her. "Hi."

"Wh-where's Johnny?" Her voice was not much higher than a whisper but it got the attention of the two doctors. 

Dr. Brackett smiled widely. "Welcome back young lady, how do you feel?"

"Terrible, my face feels like I went ten rounds with Muhammed Ali."

"I'm not surprised, you _look_ like you went ten rounds with Muhammad Ali, but lucky for you nothing is broken."

Min wanted to go to sleep but she fought it. "How long have I been here?"

Dixie touched the young woman on the face. "It's only been a few hours Min."

She tried to remember what had happened but she couldn't, her mind was still in a fog. "Johnny?"

"He's here and so is your family."

"Can I see him?"

Dixie nodded. "I'll go get him." 

She didn't have far to go, the waiting area was just around the corner from the room Min was in. Dixie walked over to Johnny and stood over him, he was leaning forward, looking down at the ground.

"Johnny?"

Everyone turned their attention to the RN that suddenly appeared, he looked up at her. "Min?"

Dixie nodded her head once. "She's awake, she's asking for you."

Johnny stood up fast. "Can I see her?"

"She's in exam room 9, it's just around the corner."

He started to leave but then he realized that maybe her family should see her before he did. "Maybe you three should go see her; after all you are her family."

Luke shook his head. "No Johnny, you go ahead, she was asking for you, we'll see her when you're done."

Johnny smiled at them and nodded his head; he walked down the hall and turned the corner.

Min had fallen asleep again when she felt a hand touching her face; she opened her eyes and saw the face of her fiancé. "Hi."

Johnny smiled at her, never so thankful in his life. Her face was bruised and beaten but that didn't matter to him, he was just glad she was awake. "Hi, how do you feel?"

"Like a steam roller ran over me, twice." Her face grew serious for a moment. "Where is he?"

"Who?"

Min could see that he knew exactly who she was talking about. "You know who I mean."

Johnny closed his eyes for a moment; he was hoping that she wouldn't remember what had happened. "Jail, the cops took him away."

She sighed in relief and reached up and touched her face. "Do I look as bad as I feel?"

He shook his head slowly and touched her cheek. "No."

"You are probably just saying that."

"I wouldn't lie to you."

Min sighed and looked down at herself; she was covered with a blanket. "I bet I have a whole lot of war wounds from that asphalt."

"A few scrapes, I think your knees got the worst of it."

"I think everything got the worst of it." 

Johnny could see that she was getting tired and he leaned over and kissed her lips gently. "You get some rest, I'll be back to check on you in a little while."

"What about work?" Her eyelids were getting heavier and she tried very hard to keep them open.

"I'm on vacation."

Her eyes were all the way closed. "Oh that's good Honey." 

Johnny shook his head and kissed her again. "Good night Min."

Over the next two days Min stayed in the hospital, by Tuesday afternoon she was discharged with strict orders to get plenty of rest. Her physical injuries were minor and were well on their way to being healed, but it was the mental injuries that Johnny was concerned with. Min seemed to be all right but Johnny could tell that most of it was an act. She seemed much quieter than usual and wouldn't talk about what had happened. Johnny had talked to Dixie and Dr. Brackett about it and they told him to just give her a little time to sort it out for herself.  Johnny decided to do what they had suggested; he just had to have patience, something he never had before and wasn't sure if he could start now.  Min was taking a nap; he was standing at the foot of the bed looking down at her. She was lying on her right side, the left one had bruises from where Agee had kicked her, there were also bruises and a few scrapes going down her leg. He climbed up onto the bed and lay down beside her. 

Min sat up in bed and opened her eyes, she was covered in sweat and breathing hard. She felt someone touching her and looked down to see Johnny's arm across her waist, she picked it up and moved it aside. This action woke him and he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Her eyes were a little wide and they had a look of terror in them, it was obvious she wasn't fine, Johnny tried to touch her face but she backed away. "Are you sure?"

She scooted over away from him. "I'm sure."

"Why don't we have something to eat? I can make some sandwiches or some soup."

Min nodded. "I am a little hungry; I didn't eat my lunch before we left the hospital."

Johnny got up from the bed and offered her his hand; she started to reach for it but then changed her mind and got up on her own. They walked into the kitchen and she sat down at the little table as Johnny got the sandwich makings out of the fridge.

"What kind of sandwich do you want?"

She wouldn't look at him and shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever is fine."

He made her a cheese sandwich and set the plate down in front of her, she ate most of it and pushed the plate aside. 

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I think I'm going to go take a hot bath, I feel achy and a little stiff."

"It's just from the bruises." 

Min nodded and got up from the table. "Thanks for the sandwich."

He smiled at her and sat down to eat his sandwich. "You're very welcome."

She walked out of the kitchen slowly, her body feeling as though it was made of wood, her left side was throbbing, her ribs weren't broken from Agee's kicking but they were bruised.  Johnny watched his robotic fiancée. "Do you need any help?"

"No thanks I can manage." 

Johnny was lying on the bed reading a magazine when she came out of the bathroom wearing her robe and was walking more normally then she had been.

"Feel better?"

She nodded as she sat down on the side of the bed, her back turned to him; he reached out and touched it, this caused the young woman to jump and turn around fast.

"Easy Min it's all right."

She was breathing hard and looking at him with wide eyes. "Don't do that."

He was surprised at her reaction. "Do what?"

"Touch me, don't touch me okay?" 

Johnny nodded his head slowly. "Okay." He watched as she picked up her nightgown and went to change, he felt bad for having scared her all he was trying to do was give her comfort. _I guess I tried too soon,_ he thought to himself as he picked up his magazine and continued reading. 

Roy arrived at the stationhouse early; he had come wearing a t-shirt and a pair of dark grey sweats. It was his turn to make breakfast and he wanted to get a jump on the pancakes he decided to make. He didn't want to get his uniform dirty so he decided to lay it on his bed while he cooked. He quietly walked into the dark bunkhouse and over to his bunk, he saw his partner was fully dressed, lying on his bunk.

"Morning."

Johnny was lying with his hands tucked under his head. "Morning, what time is it?"

Roy laid his uniform down on the bed and looked at his watch. "It's 6 30, how long have you been here?"

"I got here a little before 6." 

Roy sat down on the end of his bed and looked at his partner, despite the low light in the room he could see his partner's face clearly, he looked serious. "So why are you here so early?"  
Johnny sighed and rolled over onto his side, facing his partner. "I was awake anyways, Min was restless."

"How's she been doing?"

"Okay I guess, she's been really quiet and keeping to herself."

"It's only been a couple of weeks Johnny."

"I know I guess I just feel helpless, she's going through so much and there isn't much I can do to help her."

"Just being there for her is the most important thing you can do."

"It doesn't seem like enough."

"I know Johnny but believe me it is." Roy stood up. "Come on, why don't you give me a hand with the pancakes?"

"All right, but I get the first plate."

"Deal."

Johnny got up from his bed and followed his partner into the kitchen.

Min woke up and found that she was alone; she wiped her face and sat up slowly. She threw back the covers and got out of bed; she went into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. She looked at herself in the mirror, she still had a few scrapes on her cheeks and there was still a small bruise under her right eye. She took a handful of water and splashed it on her face, the icy water made her feel more awake and she gasped as it ran down her neck. She turned off the faucets and stood up straight; she looked in the mirror and saw Agee standing behind her. Her heart suddenly slammed hard against her ribs, she whipped around and saw that the bathroom was empty; she was the only person there. She turned back around and the mirror was empty, she covered her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart. 

"What is happening to me?"

She sat down on the toilet and started to cry.

For the next two weeks, Min was pretty much the same; Johnny tried to give her as much space and understanding as he could. There were days when she would hardly sleep a wink at night and only would nap during the day out of sheer exhaustion. She hadn't been to the club since that night and whenever Johnny would bring it up she would only shake her head and tell him she wasn't ready to go back to work. Johnny was truly worried about his fiancée and had spent many a sleepless night himself in their empty bed; Min had started sleeping in the spare bedroom. He sighed heavily as he looked up at the ceiling, he couldn't imagine how things could possibly get worse between them.

Bo was in his apartment reading a book on his couch; his feet were propped up on his oak coffee table. He had just turned a page in his latest issue of _Today's Country_ when there was a knock at the door. He looked up at the clock on his entertainment center, it read half past 6. Bo set down his magazine and got up from the couch, he was only wearing a pair of shorts and he knew he couldn't answer the door like that.

"Just a second!" He grabbed a t-shirt from his bedroom and slipped it on as he peered through his peep hole, he saw the face of his sister and he unlocked the door.

"Min what are you doing here?"

She had a strange look on her face that Bo had only seen once before in all the years he had known his sister; it was the look of terror. He stepped aside and she walked in and dropped a backpack on the floor.

"I didn't know where else to go." 

Bo saw the bag and he looked at her. "Well what about your place?"

"I can't stay there Bo, I just can't." She sat down on the black velvet couch and covered her face with her hands; the first thing Bo noticed was that her ring was gone.

"What do you mean you can't stay there, what about Johnny and where is your ring?"

Min put her hands in her lap. "It's over between us Bo."

Bo sat down beside her and put his arms around her shoulders. "What happened?"

"I don't know, I don't know what happened."

"Aw come on Sis, you have to do better than that, you just wouldn't dump Johnny for the heck of it."

Min sighed as she leaned back against the couch. "The way I feel about him just changed, almost overnight."

"I don't buy that Min; you don't just _stop_ loving somebody overnight."

"I don't know!" She got up from the couch. "I didn't come here to explain myself Bo, can I crash in your spare room or not?"

Bo could see in her eyes that the attack had damaged his sister more than just a few scrapes and bruises. "All right, go ahead and get some sleep, I'll start dinner in a little while and let you know when it's ready."

He was back, standing in front of her with that twisted grin on his face, smelling of whiskey and cheap cigarettes. 

"You belong to me Min, forever."

She shook her head. "No I don't, I never have and I never will."

"Oh yes you will, you're my girl. The last time we were interrupted, but no one will disturb us this time."

Agee walked over to the spare bedroom door and locked it; he went over to the window and made sure it was latched. He walked over to her and pushed her back on the bed, Min got up and went over to the door, she tried to open it but the lock wouldn't turn. 

"It's no use trying to escape Min, you never will."

Agee came up behind her and grabbed her by her hair; he threw her back onto the bed and climbed on top of her. He covered her mouth with his hand and shushed her. "It's no use Darling; I'm going to take something from you that you can never get back." His hand moved from her mouth and started unbuttoning the jeans she had on. She tried to stop him but it was no use.

"You're only making it harder on yourself, just lay back and enjoy it."  
He finished up buttoning her pants and pulled them off of her; he dropped them onto the ground and began unbuttoning his own.

Bo was in the kitchen reading the instructions on the recipe card as he added another ingredient to the stew he was making; he heard a funny noise and turned off the burner to go investigate. He walked through the living room and started down the hall, he was only about halfway when he heard his sister screaming. He ran down the hall and threw open the spare bedroom door.

Min was lying on the spare bed screaming, she was flat on her back, her head moving from side to side.

_"Stop it! Don't do this please!"_

Bo climbed up on the bed and grabbed Min by the shoulders, he started to shake her. "Wake up Min, wake up!

She was still thrashing around so Bo sat her up. "Come on Min snap out of it! It's just a dream!" She was soaking wet with sweat and finally out of desperation Bo slapped his sister. Her eyes flew open the moment his hand made contact; she blinked a few times and looked at her brother in disbelief.

"I'm sorry Min; I didn't know what else to do."

She was breathing hard and looked down at herself, she thought for sure that she was half naked but she wasn't. She looked around the room and expected to see Agee but there was no one there but her brother, she began to realize that everything had been a dream. She wiped her face with a pair of shaking hands and looked at her brother.  

"What's happening to me Bo?" 

Min started to cry and Bo drew his little sister to his chest and stroked her hair, she started crying harder and Bo put his arms around her and hugged her. "It's going to be all right Min, I promise."

"Min?"

Johnny hung up his jacket and his keys; the apartment was dark so he turned on a nearby lamp.

"Min?"

He walked into the bedroom and flipped on the switch, there was a piece of paper lying on the blue comforter and something else…the engagement ring he had given to Min. The paper had only two words on it but they broke Johnny's heart.

_"I'm sorry."_

He picked up the ring and held it between his fingers; he curled it up in his hand and sat down on the bed. The apartment was totally quiet except for one small noise, the sound of heartbreak, despair and hopelessness; it was the sound of someone weeping. 

Roy opened the glass shower door and stepped out, he took a clean towel off of the shelf and wrapped it around his midsection, he had just picked up another towel and was beginning to dry his hair when there was a knock at the bathroom door.

"Roy?"

"Yeah."

JoAnne opened the door a crack and poked her head in. "I know you just got out of the shower but Johnny is on the phone."

"Okay I'll be there in a second." Roy took the towel off of his head and looked at his wife, she had a strange look. "What's wrong?"

"He doesn't sound right Roy, I think something's wrong."

He opened the door all the way and went down the hall to the master bedroom; he sat down on the bed and picked up the phone. "Hi Johnny what's up?"

JoAnne walked into the room and watched her husband on the phone; she crossed her arms over her white sweater. 

Roy's face was serious as he listened to his partner; he sighed and nodded his head slowly. "All right, I'll be right over, bye."

"What's going on?" She watched as her husband hung up the phone and stood up.

"You were right Anne."

"About Johnny?"

Roy walked over to his dresser and started taking out clean clothes. "Yeah, he's pretty upset."

"Why?"

He took off his towel and started getting dressed. "Johnny went home and found a note from Min."

"What did it say?"

"I'm sorry; she left her ring with it."

JoAnne sat down on the bed and sighed. "No wonder he sounded so strange."

"I told him I'd go over there."

"I think that's a good idea, if it really is over he's going to need a friend."

Roy sat down on the bed and put on his socks. "If it really is over."

"You don't think so?"

"No I don't." Roy finished tying his tennis shoes and got up, he went over and kissed his wife on the lips. "I'll be home as soon as I can."

JoAnne nodded. "Give Johnny my love."

"I will." He walked out the bedroom door and picked up his keys.

Bo sat with his sister for what seemed like hours, letting her cry, when everything had gone quiet he looked down and saw that she had fallen asleep. He looked at her face and saw the black circles that were under her eyes; obviously she hadn't been sleeping much since her attack. He laid her down on the bed gently; he was hoping that she would be too exhausted to have another nightmare. He crept quietly out of the bedroom and closed the door.

"So do you think it's over?" Roy was sitting on the couch watching his partner pace back and forth across the living room floor. Roy could see that his partner was angry and upset at the same time, he could understand why; Min wasn't the only one that had been through a lot since that night.

"I don't know what to think Roy; she's been so distant since that night."

"She's been through a lot Johnny you just have to give her time." 

"I have given her time Roy! I haven't pressured her about anything! Dr. Brackett told me to leave her alone and let her come to me." 

"And has she?"

"No, it's been over a month since it happened and she still won't talk about it." Johnny sat down on the coffee table. "I hardly know anything about that night, just little bits and pieces I got from her nightmares."

"She's been having nightmares?"

Johnny nodded his head. "Every night, sometimes she would wake up screaming, I could hear her all the way from the spare bedroom but whenever I would ask her what she was dreaming about she wouldn't tell me. Now you know as well as I do that one of the best ways to get over something like this is to talk about it."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know should I give her more time or go after her?"

"Do you know where she is?"

"I have a pretty good idea that she's with her brother, whenever she's upset or something's bugging her she always goes to him."

"I hate to sound repetitive, but what are you going to do?"

"I wish I knew Roy."

"The way I see it Johnny you've got two choices, you can either roll over and let the love of your life slip through your fingers, or you can fight for her." Roy looked at his watch and got up from the couch. "It's really up to you. I have to go, it's getting late and unlike you, I have to work tomorrow."

Johnny nodded. "Thanks Roy, I really appreciate you coming over."

Roy smiled at his partner. "What are friends for Johnny call me and let me know how it turns out." He opened the door and closed it behind him as he left. Johnny sighed and moved to the couch, he picked up a pillow and put in his lap.

"I want to know how it's going to turn out too."

Bo had finished making his stew and was back on his couch eating a bowl of it, he had just started to relax when the phone rang. 

"Figures, always happens at dinner time." He set the bowl on the coffee table and got up, he wiped his mouth with a napkin that was sitting on the counter and picked up the phone.

"Hello Bo Duke here."

"Bo, its Johnny."

Bo stretched the phone cord out all the way as he sat back down on the couch. "Hey Johnny, I take it you just got home and found someone wasn't there?"

"Yeah and that's not all, I also found a note and the ring I gave Min, how is she?"

"Asleep."

Bo heard the fireman sigh on the phone. "Did she say anything to you about why she left?"

"No, not yet. I thought maybe after she wakes up we can have a talk."

"She needs to talk about what happened that night Bo."

"I don't know if she will Johnny."

"I know she's been having a hard time, but I still love her. She's never going to get any better if she doesn't talk about what happened."

"I can try but I can't make any promises."

The other end of the line was quiet and Bo wondered if he was still there. "Johnny?"

"I'm here Bo, when you talk to her…tell her that I love her and I want her to come home."

"I will Johnny, I really think she loves you too she's just not herself right now."

"I know, see you later Bo."

"Bye Johnny."

Bo got off the couch and hung the phone back up, he looked over at his bowl of stew, he suddenly didn't want it anymore. 

Min was sitting against the headboard of the bed, her knees drawn up to her chest; the apartment was totally quiet so she heard almost everything that Bo had said on the phone. She wanted so much to see Johnny but at the same time she was afraid to, she knew he would want to hold her and touch her and the idea of any man touching her was frightening. No man was ever going to touch her, not ever again, she shook that thought out of her head. It wasn't true; she didn't feel that way at all, why was she thinking like that? She extended her legs and covered her face with her hands; she was so confused she didn't know what she wanted anymore. She heard the sound of the door opening and she knew who it was, the only man that she felt safe with.

"What did he say?"

Bo walked into the room and sat down on the side of the bed. "He loves you and he wants you to come home."

Min's heart burned when he said those words, she could see Johnny saying them and she closed her eyes against the image of his face. Bo saw her and he could see that she missed her fireman etched clearly on her face. 

"You miss him, don't you?"

She opened her eyes; there were tears in them as she nodded her head slowly.

Bo reached over and gently took her hand. "Then why don't you go see him, Min."

She squeezed her big brother's hand. "I can't…"

"Why not?"

She shook her head; she didn't want to talk about it. Bo thought about what Johnny said and he was right, she had to talk about what had happened to her.

"Come on Min; answer me, why can't you just go home?"

"I just can't."

"That's not an answer Min."

She tried to pull her hand away from his but he wouldn't let it go. "Please Bo; I don't want to talk about it."

"I think you should, now tell me why you can't go home."

She tried to get her hand free but her brother was very strong. "Come on let go of my hand!"

"Not until you answer my question, why can't go home?"

"Because I'm afraid! Does that answer your question? I'm scared to death to go back home!"

Bo let go of her hand. "Why? Do you think Johnny is going to hurt you in some way?"

Min shook her head and wiped the tears that were rolling down her face. "It's just the opposite Bo; I left because I was hurting him."

"How were you doing that?"

"He's been through hell this past month; I couldn't do that to him anymore."

"If you think you are sparing him by leaving you're wrong, you leaving has hurt him than anything you might have done. Don't you care about him anymore?"

She sighed and looked down at the bed. "I still love him."

Bo placed his fingers under her chin and lifted it so he could look into her face. "That's all you need Min, I know that right now you aren't yourself because of what happened but it's times like this that you should hold him closer to you not push him away."

She started to cry again. "But I'm such a mess I don't know if I can."

Bo gave her one of his famous wide smiles. "You aren't a mess, you know exactly how to stop your bad dreams and get back to your life."

"No I don't."

"Oh yes you do, it starts with you getting off this bed, picking up your bag and going home."

Min looked at her brother with wide eyes. "You're kicking me out?"

Bo touched her cheek gently. "No, you know you are welcome to stay here as long as you need to, the decision to go home has to be yours."

He got up off of the bed and left his sister alone to think.

Johnny had made himself a ham sandwich and had eaten most of it; it was now almost 10 o'clock.  He had had a rough day that was turning into an even worse night, he decided the best way to make himself feel better would be to take a shower and maybe crawl into a nice warm bed. He got up from the couch and went into the bathroom to try and wash away the events of the day. He turned on the water and began unbuttoning his blue uniform shirt.

The water had felt great and seemed to ease some of the tension that was he was feeling. He had put on his pajama bottoms and stood looking at the empty bed, he wished Min was in it, wearing that cute little white sleeveless night gown, lying on her side reading a book. She wasn't though and it only tore at his already broken heart. He sighed as he walked over to his side of the bed and peeled back the covers, he slipped into the bed and pulled the covers to his waist. He tucked his arms under his head and stared up at the ceiling. He wasn't comfortable, so he turned on his left side and tucked a hand underneath his pillow, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Min was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching Johnny sleep, she thought about what her brother had said and he was right, she had a life to get back to.  She knew that she couldn't let what had happened torment her anymore, it was time to stop being afraid. She knew that it had to start somewhere; she decided to start with Johnny. Min got off of the bed and walked around to his side, she knelt down and looked at the sleeping man, his face was so peaceful, it made him even more handsome. She reached out and gently touched his cheek, she moved her fingers down it slowly. He stirred a little and opened his eyes, the moonlight coming in from the window made the room bright, he could see her face clearly. 

"Hi…"

Min could see the hurt she had caused him reflecting in his eyes, she felt terrible for everything she had put him through. "Hi." 

Johnny pulled the covers back and sat up, he didn't know exactly what to say to her. "Are you here to get your things?"

Min was sitting back on her haunches looking at the floor, she shook her head slowly. "No."

"Then why are you here?"

She got up and sat down on the side of the bed, she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her left ear. "I wanted to see you."

"Before you left for good right?"

She turned her head and looked at him. "I'm not leaving, I tried to run away but it didn't do any good, he was still there in the dark waiting for me."

Johnny could hear the fear in her voice and he wanted to touch her, but he wasn't sure if he should. He took a chance and touched one of her hands, to his surprise she curled her fingers around his hand and held it. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Min shook her head. "I don't want to, but I know that I'll never be free of him if I don't." She looked at him and he was nodding his head. "Will you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

She swallowed hard. "Hold me." She let go of his hand and took a deep breath, trying to relax, after all this man was her fiancé, and would never hurt her.

Johnny put both of his hands on her shoulders and drew her to him, she was leaning against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. It had been over a month since she was attacked and this was the first time since then that he had touched her, he closed his eyes and reveled in how wonderful she felt, he had almost forgotten. She was trembling and he started rubbing her back, trying to give her comfort, he smiled as he felt her put her arms around his waist, his attempt at comforting her was working. 

"He was waiting for me, after the bar closed Sean told me to go home, he said he would finish up everything. I went out my office door and looked for my car, I had forgotten that it was parked around the front, for some reason I had parked there instead of on the side. I remember it was so quiet, for being downtown it was unusually quiet. I walked around the side and all of a sudden there was something that hit my throat so hard that it knocked my down. I looked up and it was Agee, he was making this terrible face and he said that I was his now. I tried to get up but he kicked me in the ribs and knocked me back down, I tried to get away by crawling and he was sitting on my back, he had my hair. I screamed because he was pulling and twisting it and he told me that he was going to make me scream like that a lot more before he was done with me. I got this sharp pain in the middle of my back and all of a sudden I was back down flat on my stomach. I tried to throw him off my back but he was too heavy, that's when he started slamming my head against the asphalt. He got up and just stood there, I got up and he was just looking at me, he ran at me and grabbed me by the shoulders and was squeezing them, I was able to hit him a couple of times, he let go of me and I gave him a right cross. When he was away from me I started to run but I didn't get far, he tackled me and we both hit the ground. I don't know how but he ended up on top of me and that's when he started hitting me." She stopped for a minute to wipe her face. "I tried to fight him but he was too strong, I couldn't move or do anything. I don't remember too much after that, I do know that he grabbed my face and said something about how I wasn't so tough after all or something like that." Something came back to her and it made her gasp.

"What? What is it?"

Min started to cry harder. "He was tearing my clothes! He was going to…to…"

"Shh, I know, but I got there before he did that."

She buried her face in his chest and started to sob, it was a month's worth of bottled up anger and fear that was finally coming to the surface. Johnny stroked her hair and just let her cry everything out, he said nothing he simply held her.

Min cried for a good half hour, she cried until she felt as though she had nothing left. She felt a thousand percent better; better than she had for the past month. "Johnny?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Everything." He let go of her and she sat up. "For leaving and for the way I've been acting."

He shook his head and touched her face. "You have nothing to be sorry for, you were going through a tough time, we all go through them once in a while."

She nodded her head and a small smile appeared on her lips. "Can I have my ring back?"

Johnny got up from the bed and went to his dresser, he opened the top drawer and took out a velvet box, he opened it and took out the ring. He walked back to the bed and sat down beside her, he picked up her left hand and slipped it back on her ring finger.

"There, it's back where it belongs." He took a hold of her hand and brought it to his lips, he kissed it gently.  

Min could feel her heart race at that simple gesture, she was staring into his dark brown eyes and all the fear she had was suddenly gone, she felt nothing but love. Johnny let go of her hand and started to get up, he was thirsty and wanted to get a drink of water, she grabbed his wrist and held it firm. Johnny was about to say something when she pulled him towards her, quick as a flash she had let go of his wrist and had her hands on both sides of his face. She brushed her lips against his; it took only a split second for him to return it, she felt his mouth move against hers as the kiss deepened. Their lips parted and Johnny had a look of astonishment on his face as he opened his eyes and looked at her. 

"You've never kissed me like that before."

"I know."

She smiled at him as she did it again, it was even more passionate then the first kiss and her hands moved down his back. The kiss ended and Johnny was a little out of breath, her gentle touch had his blood boiling, he could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. Min was feeling it as well, she felt as though her heart was going to burst but she liked the passion she could feel coursing through her veins. Johnny moved to the center of the bed, his back was leaning against the headboard. He reached out and put a hand on her cheek and touched it gently, her skin was soft and smooth. He traced his fingers over her face, there were still minute traces of the beating she had endured but it didn't matter, she was still beautiful to him. This time he was the one that initiated a kiss, their breaths were exchanged and Johnny lifted her chin with his fingers and started to kiss the delicate tissue of her neck. This brought a sigh from Min as she put her hand to the back of his head. She felt lightheaded as she tilted her head back, he kissed the sensitive area of the jugular vein and a small moan of pleasure escaped from her lips. He stopped his kissing and looked at her, she had a dreamy look on her face. They both were out of breath as they looked into each other's eyes, they both knew the time had come. Johnny slid down the headboard and was now lying flat on the bed, he stretched out his hand to her. Min swallowed hard as she accepted his hand, he pulled her to him and they started to kiss once again, Johnny rolled them over and was now looking down at the woman he loved. 

"Do you trust me?"

Earlier in the evening the answer to that would have been no, Min looked up at him and nodded her head. "I trust you." 

Johnny smiled at her as his hand moved to the buttons of the light blue shirt she was wearing, he began unbuttoning them one at a time.  

They were laying in the dark, in spoon fashion, Johnny had his arm across her waist, he sighed having never felt this totally content. He lifted his head and kissed her cheek a few times, holding her tighter against him. He realized how deeply he loved her and he never wanted to let her go. Min squirmed a little as one of his kisses brushed against her ear, it tingled and the sensation made her laugh.

"You're giving me goose bumps!" 

"Sorry." He got up on one elbow, his arm moved from her waist and brushed back her long hair from her neck, he started kissing that instead. Min reached behind her and touched his head, her giggles turned into sighs.

"I take it you aren't tired?"

"A little bit." His kisses lingered longer on her neck and the sensation was stirring her blood. "But I'm off tomorrow and the next day."

She wound her fingers in his hair. "Since you are driving my crazy with what you're doing am I correct to assume that sleep is the last thing on your mind?"

Johnny stopped kissing her and put a hand on her shoulder, he rolled her over. "The farthest thing from my mind right now." He kissed her lips and moved down to her neck again, Min sighed and tilted her head back a little so he could have better access. 

"So I see, and what if I were to say no?"

He lifted his head and gave her a wide grin. "You won't."  

Min laughed and shook her head. "You're right." She put her arms around his neck and started kissing him.

Min opened her eyes, she was lying on Johnny's chest, she lifted her head and glanced over at the clock, it read 5 30. 

"What time is it?"

She gasped, her heart beating hard within her chest, she looked down at her husband-to-be, she thought he was asleep. "It's 5 30, how did you sleep?"

Johnny yawned and stretched his arms. "Like the dead, how about you?"

Min sat up and nodded. "Good, I don't think I had any bad dreams."

"You didn't, I stayed awake and watched you for a while."

"So what are we going to do today?"

"I don't know, but I think it's too early to get up."

Min looked out her bedroom window, it was still dark. "True, we could go back to sleep for a couple of hours."

"Or do other things."

She raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "No, I think we need to sleep."

"We can sleep later."

Min suddenly got silly and climbed on top of her fiancé; she sat on his lower abdomen and looked down at him. "You are a little horny toad aren't you?"

Johnny smiled up at her and was playing with the ends of her nightgown. "Maybe."

"No maybes about it! You are!"

He sat up and put his arms around her waist. "Is that such a bad thing?"

"I didn't say that, but we can sleep now and fool around later."

Johnny thought about it for a moment and nodded his head. "That's true, I do have two days off."

"Yes you do and I want to spend them making up for the time we lost." She put her hand on his face and smiled. "I am _so_ in love with you."

He smiled at her and kissed her on the nose. "I love you too."

She climbed off of him and laid down on the bed. "Let's get some sleep."

Johnny turned and curled up beside her, they were in spoon fashion again and Min sighed, she felt warm and safe. 

END.


End file.
